BrettTN

Hi, so I just recently got a 1998 3.2TL and it gets about 18-19 mpg which I know is about average, but is there anything I can do to increase my car's fuel economy?

Thanks in advance!

main70072

Not much you can do besides:

1. Check tire pressure at proper level.
2. Engine tune up in tip top condition.
3. Use premium gasoline as required.
4. Drive like a granny and welcome to the forum.

adventurecrv

That's about it.

Regular oil changes I find help a bit for some reason. Could be my imagination though...

Use the cruise control when you can.

I found with my 2.5 TL there was a big difference in fuel consumption between doing 60mph and 70mph...

From Ottawa to Toronto I averaged 23 mpg @120 kph. Coming back I kept it around or just under 100 kph and got 30+ mpg. I was quite surprised...

russell707

Wow 30 mpg? Nice but 60 mph is very slow on the freeway lol

HP11

If fuel mileage is a big concern to you, you likely bought the wrong car. That's just not one of these cars strong suits. My 400hp GTO actually gets better mileage.

BrettTN

It's not a huge concern, I'm quite okay with the mileage actually. I was just curious haha

Ken1997TL

It's all about gearing with these cars. The TL doesn't have a tall 4th gear so you're likely to get 25 mpg or so on a long trip.

19 mpg is about right for city driving for most six cylinder cars, even today.

HP11

My daughter's 2011 Accord V6-auto does a little better than that city (20.5-21 mpg) and close to 30 mpg hwy-on regular gas.

adventurecrv

Yeah, 60 mph is a bit slow. The speed limit was 80 kph (50 mph) most of the way so I was doing 20 over...

Pretty much the norm where I live...

Ken1997TL

Yep.. and my '03 TL did about 20 city and 33 highway. Again, because of gearing. On the highway it was doing below 2000 rpms. I'm sure your GTO is doing 1700 rpms or maybe lower on most highway speeds (that are legal )

Gas was $1.20 for premium at the time it was designed

HP11

Although I did once own a 67 GTO, I'm talking about my 2005. It's a 6 speed manual, LS2 engine. I once got 27 mpg from it on a trip where I intentionally drove it in that manner; which I rarely do. The 67 probably wouldn't have got 14 mpg but we really didn't care then. Oh, and In 1967, gas was actually somewhere in the 20-25 cents per gallon range! (I was there....)

Ken1997TL

Oh I figured it was a new GTO, Corvettes get great mileage as well if you keep the highway speeds sane

daoshao

-drive like a grandma and or change driving habits.
-overinflate tires (Less resistance means better fuel ecomony...downside is you may get a blowout or faster tire wear.)
-dejunk your car (take everything out of trunk and car that you don't need or use...bike racks, car seats, bowling ball?)
-buy another car (if that isn't enough for you...you may want to buy a hybrid)

ChinnoDog

Last week I did some work on my 98 TL to prepare it for a trip yesterday and suddenly I am getting 26.6mpg highway with car loaded with 3 people and a full trunk. I have never had more than 24mpg since I bought my car in 2002 with 80k miles on it. I now have 220k. Here is everything I did:

• New K&N air filter
• New spark plugs. NGK Laser Iridium (P/N IFR5E11).
• Oil change, full synthetic
• Fixed brake caliper and pad on right rear
• Tires rotated and aligned, and presumably inflated (I didn't do it myself)

I think it was the spark plugs that did it. I don't recall mileage like this when I had my spark plugs replaced at 105k but I don't know what kind were used since I wasn't doing my own work back then. I have been using K&N filters since 90k miles. Could the spark plugs be just that much better? I am saving $20 in gas on this DC to CT trip so I am happy about this.

main70072

Don't know how true this is, but I've heard that the older a Honda engine gets, the better the mpg.

YouRock

Keeping a clean air filter and spark plugs in good shape helped increase mpg on my 96 2.5. Plus all of the above of course.
It increases dramatically on the highway going between 55-70mph on cruise control. Even with fully loaded trunk and 4 people inside I was getting 26-28mph.